


I'll always keep the white rose you gave me

by BlakesRus



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Artist Clarke Griffin, Bellamy Blake & John Murphy are Best Friends, Bellamy Blake & Nathan Miller Friendship, Christmas Fluff, Declarations Of Love, F/M, Fluff and Smut, I suck at tags, Long-Distance Relationship, Love at First Sight, M/M, Modern Setting Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, My First Smut, New York, Octavia Blake & Clarke Griffin are Best Friends, Other, Sad Ending, Slow Burn Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Smut, Soldier Bellamy, Strangers to Lovers, Uncle Bellamy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-03-24 00:39:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13799718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlakesRus/pseuds/BlakesRus
Summary: Bellamy is a Soldier in the US Army and Clarke is an artist who's recently moved to Arkadia. He befriends her, they strike up a friendship that ultimately leads to more.But how will it work out when Bellamy gets deployed?** This fic will cover 3/4 years of their relationship so be prepared for a long ride :)





	1. Chapter 1

They met one cold January afternoon in the midst hustle and bustle of New York. There were thousands of people on the busy walk way, but one person in particular caught his eye.  

Her striking features made her stand out instantly among the sea of moving bodies. Strands of blonde hair blowing violently behind her as she hurried towards a taxi, arms waving aimlessly to flag down a taxi. The driver pulled into a lay by but somebody elbowed her out of the way as they unloaded their dozen or so bags into the taxi before shutting the door briskly behind them, leaving the blonde to stand awkwardly on the side of the road in a state of shock.  

Unlike most people who would normally open the taxi door and ignite an argument, she instead kept the same angelic smile on her face, brushing any remains of the situation off her shoulder, shrugging the incident off like it was nothing. She tottered carefully over towards the wall, slouching against it to regain control of her breath.  

She stood out against the bleak pallet of people around her. A blue silk scarf draped loosely around her neck as clouds of smoke puffed out from inbetween her slightly parted lips. Wearing a tight fitted pencil skirt that cut off just after her knees with no tights on, you could see the faint blue and purple colouring on her calves; she wasn't dressed for this kind of weather.  

Now that she was stationary, the coldness began to seep through her layers, shuddering she wrapped her arms tightly across her chest, but it didn't make an ounce of difference, yet she kept her arms there.  

Bellamy was more intrigued than ever; she  _definitely_ wasn’t from around here.  

She eventually noticed him staring at her; so, she pulled her scarf a little tighter around her neck, trying to shield herself from his prying eyes. After a minute or two had passed her gaze flickered in his direction to see if he was still staring, to her utter annoyance he was. She became a little flustered, the tips of her cheeks burning dangerously red.   

Bellamy mustered up the courage to walk over to her, resting his right leg up on the wall, his back pressed firmly up against it. He cocked his head her way as his arm brushed dangerously close against hers. His eyes swept briefly over the girl, her lips dry from the cold, her tongue darting out every few seconds to wet them. 

Bellamy didn't normally approach strangers on the side of the road, but something about this girl who was so obviously from out of town intrigued him, mystery surrounded her and Bellamy loved a mystery. 

"Do you normally stare at women or am I just lucky" she huffed breaking the silence that had settled between them.  

"You’re just lucky I guess" he shot a confident smile her way, noticing the quick roll of her eyes at his cockiness.

"Aren’t you a charmer" she snorted, looking up at him for the second time.  

Unlike her he was wrapped up in a woolly jumper, a grey scarf tied firmly around his neck and a waterproof coat, his hands thrusted deep inside the pockets.

Clarke's eyes rested on his scarf a beat longer than she anticipated, her neck longing for the warmth of his wool knit scarf in opposed to her designer silk scarf, that did nothing but show off how much money she had. Now he was closer Clarke got a better view of this 'charmer'. He had a pair of glasses resting on the tip of his nose, masking the rich chocolate eyes he had, his mouth open ajar as his gaze flickered from his watch to her.

She glanced down at her own watch, chewing on her lip harshly. She took a small step forward, tilting her head towards Bellamy.   

"Fancy walking with me?" She shrugged, Bellamy paused for a moment, debating whether to accompany her, he eventually nodded feeling a sudden spontaneous urge as he took a willing step towards her.   

They walked side by side slowly along the sidewalk, Clarke's impeccably high heels clicking obnoxiously against the bubble gum covered pavement. 

“So, where are you heading?” he asked, keeping his gaze firmly on the group of boys who had taken up the corner of the street opposite, some of them eyeing Clarke a little suspiciously.    

“Uh . . . to  Arkcadia.  I’ve just moved there. How about you?” Clarke said, her lip resting between her teeth as she stared down at her aching feet. 

Bellamy’s eyebrows raised, giving her the once over. He noticed her clothes, although they didn’t at first glance scream I’m worth a thousand dollars, they really were worth a  _thousand_ dollars. 

Her perfectly manicured nails, not one imperfect chip in sight. He clocked the bracelet on her arm, he worked at a jewellers once and he knows it’s worth a fortune.  

So, what the hell was a girl like  _that_ , doing in a place like  _th_ _is_ _?_  A place he grew up in and never really grew out of.   

“This is going to sound weird, but me too” he laughed, running his hand through his curls nervously, as he swapped sides with her, shielding her from the boys they were passing. 

“Okay, let me just get an SOS ready in case you try to kidnap me” she grinned, swiping her phone out of her pocket.  

“I don’t think you’re  _supposed_ to tell me that” he laughed “If I were to kidnap you” he added quickly.  

"How long have you lived here?" She asked, curious.   

"Since well. . .  forever" He shrugged.  

Clarke's eyes widened, most of the people she was brought up around moved all the time. To the next big, rich estate, or aboard for a couple years, it was very rare for people in the society Clarke's from to just, settle. Stay in one place.

Bellamy felt a rush of embarrassment wash over him at her drawn out silence, his hands becoming clammy. He shoved them back into his pockets, fiddling with some loose change he'd left in them.  

He was one of the cliché high school kids who grew up in a small town, had lived in the same house all his life and while some of his friends moved away to bigger and better things he'd remained behind. He thought his little home town was the best home town and he never once felt the urge to go somewhere else. He loved the little town he called home. 

"Wow, I wish I could have stayed in one place for that long. I hate having to move around" she groaned, kicking a pebble across the pavement with the toe of her heel.  

Wait; was this rich girl _envious_ of him? Wow, how the tables had turned.   

His eyes met Clarke's, warmth radiating from her kind face against the cold brisk air. He mentally scolded himself for referring to her as a 'rich girl' because unlike others he'd encountered before, she seemed like  _so_  much more than that.   

It prompted him to ask for her name.   

"Clarke and you are?" she gestured, Bellamy taking his hand in hers, shaking it slowly "I'm Bellamy".  

Bellamy reached the road his house was on but for some reason he continued to walk with Clarke, their conversation flowing.

A couple of doors down from him, she stopped abruptly. Clarke stood awkwardly at the edge of drive; "This is me" she waved, motioning towards a building no bigger than Bellamy's house.  

She'd surprised him again, Bellamy knew the studio above the art shop had been bought, but he was now looking at the new owner "You live here?" His eyebrows nearly reseeding past his hairline.   

"Uh yeah above the art shop, every artists dream right" she joked, her eyebrows wiggling. 

"You’re an artist?" Bellamy was surprised; he didn't have her down as the creative type.   

"I am. . . much to my Mom's bitter disappointment" her ocean blue eyes clouded over at the mention of her Mom.  

Realising it was a sore subject he changed the conversation "Well, I live at Number 16.  If you need anything just knock and uh- yeah welcome to the neighbourhood Clarke" he nodded, before bidding her farewell and making the embarrassingly short walk to his front door, it took everything in him to walk forwards and not look back, to scared she'd be watching him and laughing.   

Before he'd closed the front door he heard a little voice shout "Uncle Bee".

A small figure wrapped in a towel came charging at him, before wrapping themselves around his leg, clinging to his calf as Bellamy continued to walk towards the sound of his sister.   

"Archie, let go of Uncle Bellamy's leg" Octavia called out as she fed Lily her afternoon bottle.  

Bellamy hoisted Archie into his arms, planting a kiss onto his nephew's head.    

He cooed over Lily, kissing Octavia on the cheek. "How are you getting on?" he asked, spying the untouched mountains of paperwork on his kitchen table.    

"I haven't even started" Octavia sighed, laying Lily down in her cot.   

Octavia and Lincoln had been trying for a few months now to find a place of their own. Although Bellamy assured them he loved having them around, they still wanted a place to call their own, but Octavia worked flat out all day every day to take care of the kids; so, their house hunting hadn't really gone past the four walls she was already living in.  

"I can take Archie to the park if you'd like? Get him out the way so you can focus on this" He gestured to the table.   

Octavia debated it, feeling like she was already taking advantage of her brother by living in his house in the first place "Are you sure?" She pondered, chewing her lip.  

"O, of cause I am. Hey lil man, you want to come to the park with me?" He ruffled Archie's hair. 

"Yes" he mumbled inbetween bites of his orange.   

Bellamy quickly got changed, helping Archie tie his shoe laces.  

"The dragon goes under the bridge, through the loop and into the castle" he smiled, Archie's hands tracing a beat behind Bellamy's.  

Octavia snorted, like she does  _every_ time he references Shrek. "Shut it O" he groaned.  

Archie's small fingers gripped Bellamy's tightly as they walked down the drive. He walked past the art shop, staring blankly at his reflection in the window. He'd never given it a thought before, but now he knew who was in there it made him feel a need to explore inside.   

Bellamy started to walk towards the door, Archie frowned, tugging lightly on Bellamy's arm "Uncle Bee. . . What about the park?" he pouted.   

"I just need to say hello to a. . . friend" he smiled picking Archie up; he shifted until he was comfortably nestling into Bellamy's side. The bell rang on the door as Bellamy entered; alerting the shop owner of his presence. 

"Just a minute" he heard a faint voice call out.  

His eyes scanned the shop, wall to wall it was full of paints, sketch books, pencils. You name it, this shop supplied it.   

A petite figure appeared from the back, boxes stacked high in her arms. Placing them on the counter she wiped her wet forehead with her forearm. The blonde's head peered over the tower of boxes, revealing herself to be Clarke; her nervous smile eventually growing wide noticing a friendly face.   

"Bellamy" she smiled, he couldn't help but notice her gaze fall on Archie, then to his left hand before fleeting back to meet his eyes. Clarke's imagination had already began to run wild, great she thought; the first good looking guy I meet in the city and he has kids.

"This is my nephew Archie" he patted the toddlers bum softly, "Arch, say hello to Uncle Bellamy's friend Clarke" he whispered.   

Archie giggled, Bellamy's breath tickling his ear as he smiled a toothless grin at Clarke "Hi Car".  

Clarke blushed at her name, relaxing slightly as her previous assumptions turned out to be wrong "Well hello Archie".   

Bellamy ignored the flutter in his chest as he watched Clarke interact with Archie, normally Archie didn't cope well around strangers, but with Clarke it was surprisingly different.   

"Anything I can help you guys with?" Clarke asked,  retying her paint splattered apron.  

Bellamy noticed she'd changed, opting for a pair of gym leggings, a long-sleeved paint splattered t-shirt, her hair tied up messily on the crown of her head, such an evident change from the rich girl clothes she had on earlier. She looked better like this, more comfortable Bellamy thought. 

"Uh, not really. We just came to say hi" Bellamy shoved his free hand in his pocket, staring at Clarke a little longer than necessary, noticing flecks of green paint on her ear lobe.   

"Oh, right okay. Well thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate it" she smiled.   

"I'm sure I'll see you soon?" Bellamy nodded his head reassuringly at her.    

"I'm sure you will Bellamy".   

She fluffed Archie's hair "Bye Archie" she cooed, before hauling the boxes back into her arms, making her way back through the doors behind the counter.    

Bellamy took Archie to the park, trying to tire him out as much as possible to give Octavia some time to herself. Lincoln worked away most weeks, he was a triple Michelin Star chef, often head hunted to cook for a variety of people, most of whom require him a millions miles away from home, leaving Octavia to care for the two children full time.  Bellamy knew although Octavia would never voice it, she despised Lincolns job; or at least the working away part. But she knew deep down, they desperately needed the money to save for a house and Lincoln needs to go to whatever lengths it takes to earn that much needed money.

Bellamy is on hand most days, but his deployment date is only 3 months away and he knows Octavia can't rely on him when he's not here.  

He carried a sleepy Archie back into the house, Octavia sat hunched over the table; deep in thought as she read all the terms and conditions for buying a house, rubbing her temples in concentration. He placed Archie on the sofa, pulling a blanket over his sleeping body.   

"Any luck?" He asked, joining Octavia at the table. 

She shook her head, not saying anything, Bellamy deflated; he hated seeing his baby sister look so defeated.    

"Why don't you just live here?" he suggested.   

"Uh... We already do, I don't want to keep taking advantage of you" she sighed.   

"No, listen. I get deployed in 3 months so just live here? When I come back, I can find somewhere else to live? It's a three bed house O, their hard to find in this area. Live here and I can go somewhere else".   

Octavia hesitated "Bellamy, I can't turf you out your own house".   

"You wouldn't be O, really" he assured her "At least consider it, keep it as an option okay? I'm serious" he kissed her forehead.   

He checked on Lily, she was still fast asleep in her cot. He wiped away the little trail of dribble off her chin.  

"One day I'm going to have to chase all the boys away, just like I did with your Mom" he whispered.  

He let his mind wonder to the possibility of him having children, having someone to call him Dad. Being in the army meant putting things like that on hold, he hadn't got time to commit himself to another, or to anything else because his job came first. One day, he'd like to have kids and a wife, when the time is right, with the right person. 

"One day" he whispered stroking the thin strands of hair on Lily's head.

He settled on the sofa a little while later, taking a handful of popcorn from Octavia's bowl that rested on her lap.  

"I met someone today" he mentioned, inbetween mouthfuls.

Octavia turned to face her brother, eyeing him inquisitively "You did? Who?"  

"Her names Clarke and she's moved in above the art shop, down the road".  

"Oh. . . you met a girl" Octavia's eyebrow raising playfully "Is she pretty?". 

Bellamy paused for a second, shooting Octavia an annoyed look "Yes, she's pretty and no I don't fancy her. We've literally only just met" Bellamy laughed, going to take another handful of popcorn but Octavia swatted his hand away.  

"You meet people all the time Bellamy and you never tell me about them. This is different – _she_ must be different" Octavia teased him, throwing a piece of popcorn in the air before it landed perfectly into her mouth. 

"No. . .  she's new in town and lives a few doors down and I just thought you know, you could introduce yourself" he rolled his eyes before breaking out into a smile "There's something about her O, I don't know what it is yet, she just seems. . . different" he shrugged.

* * *

 A week after he first met Clarke he bumped into her again,  _literally_. This time at the local supermarket. Her head was stuck in a magazine, not paying attention as she continued to push her cart when it crashed into his with a thud. 

"I'm so sor-" she looked up, relaxing a little when she realised it was Bellamy "We need to stop meeting this like" she grinned throwing the magazine into the trolley. 

 "I'm convinced your stalking me" A playful grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.   

Lily squealed alerting Clarke to her presence "Clarke, this is my niece Lily" Bellamy beamed proudly.

Clarke popped Lily's dummy back in her mouth, smiling warmly at the baby "She's gorgeous, how many do you have?" she asked "Nieces and Nephews I mean" she mumbled quickly, blushing.   

"Just the two" Bellamy scratched the back of his neck " I don't have any uh. . . kids".  

Clarke nodded slowly before adverting her attention to Lily, a weird awkwardness settling between them.   

"Would you like to come to dinner?" Bellamy asked.   

Clarke shot her head up quickly, eyes wide.  

"So you can meet my sister? I can invite some people around, introduce you to my friends? Just so you're not stuck with me" he grinned, trying to play it cool while inside he was dying an agonisingly slow death.   

Clarke didn't think it would be so bad if she was just stuck with  _him._ Lily spat her dummy out again, snapping Clarke out of her  _very_ inappropriate thoughts of Bellamy.   

"I'd love too, if that's okay?" she said calmly.   

"Honestly, it's no trouble. It will do you good to get to know other people" He shrugged "Shall we say around six tomorrow night?".   

"Don't you need to like make sure everyone will be free?" she frowned, placing two pineapples in her trolley.  

"Oh trust me, my friends are always free. That's the beauty of them" he smiled.    

He wrote his number down on a crumpled bit of paper he found in the back of his jeans, giving it her with a shaky hand "If you ever need anything, give me a call" he assured her.    

She blushed, her light complexion making it easy to see "Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow" she smiled, waving bye to Lily before she disappeared down another aisle.    

* * *

It was nearing six and Clarke still hadn't arrived. He'd texted all his friends and like he'd predicted they were all free and were all currently taking over his house. He'd invited Miller and Murphy, his two best friends who were squaddies just like him. He met them during one of his early training camps and they've been inseparable ever since.    

Miller bought along his boyfriend Monty, Murphy brought his long-time girlfriend Raven over to. Unlike Bellamy, both Miller and Murphy had a significant other  _before_ they decided to join the army. But Bellamy had known since he was around 14, that he wanted to be in the army so he never allowed himself to fall for someone or let them fall for him.   _If_  anything ever happened to him, he wouldn't want to leave somebody behind like that.  

Lincoln and Octavia, and the two children were also present and for Clarke's first gathering, he thought this was a comfortable number of people.    

He checked the lopsided clock on the wall, it was 6.10pm, he glanced out the front window before returning his gaze to the clock.  

Maybe she's forgot. He swallowed down the uneasiness he felt of the possibility of Clarke standing him and everyone up, he didn't often make effort for people he didn't know, especially not going to the lengths of introducing them to his personal group of friends, but something about Clarke intrigued him in a way he's never experienced before, he was making huge amounts of effort for someone he'd only just met.  

There was a knock at the door, Bellamy rose from his chair nearly tripping over Archie's toy train in the process as he stumbled to the door. He opened it, revealing a very nervous looking Clarke. 

She pulled down on her light blue blouse "Sorry I'm a little late, I uh- didn't know what to wear. . . Do I look okay?" she cringed, waving her arms at the side of her body to show off her outfit. 

Bellamy's eye's swept over her body, lingering dangerously close to her chest area. "You look uh- fine Clarke. Please come in" he managed, stepping aside to let her in.  

He gestured to Clarke to follow him as they entered the living room. Everyone stopped talking; diverting their attention to the new blonde girl in town who'd clearly caught the attention of Bellamy. She stopped short of the sofa, smiling softly as she shifted uncomfortably side to side as seven sets of eyes blinked at her. 

Octavia was first to get up "Hey, I'm Octavia. Bellamy's sister, it's nice to meet you" she gave Clarke a small hug, throwing Bellamy a knowing look over Clarke's shoulder.   

She waved over to Lincoln who was busy feeding Lily "And that hot stuff right there is my husband Lincoln" she beamed, Lincoln gave Clarke a wave with his free hand as he jigged Lily up and down. 

Murphy gagged “you guys make me feel sick". He extended his arm to Clarke "I'm Murphy, the one and only, the very amazing, very fun-"   

Miller pushed him aside mid sentence "I'm Miller, it's nice to meet you Clarke" he smiled, as Murphy hit the back of his head.   

Miller outstretched his arm, pulling Monty in close. "I'm Monty, uh I'm Millers friend, no I mean boy. . . friend" he stumbled over his words, feeling slightly embarrassed for nearly friend zoning himself.       

Last but by no means least was Raven, she'd popped to the store to grab some more ice, missing Clarke's impending arrival.  

"Hey guy's I'm back. Am I to late did I miss-" she stopped talking when she saw unfamiliar blonde hair in the kitchen, standing next to Lincoln who was busy manning the stove. 

She strode over, placing the packs of ice in the freezer before turning to face Clarke "Wow, okay your pretty" Raven blurted out.  "Bellamy do you have to bring a beautiful woman round, Murphy's already contemplating leaving me" she laughed, shooting a playful grin Murphy's way. 

Clarke laughed "Excuse me, have you seen yourself" she gasped, extending a warm smile to Raven.   

Raven flicked her signature ponytail over her lean shoulders "Well darling I have been told" she pouted, fluttering her eyelashes, her tan complexation gleaming in the sunlight rays.    

An hour or so after she'd arrived Clarke had got into a comfortable conversation with Raven and Octavia, her eye's finding Bellamy's every now and again. He'd nod his head in her direction and she'd shoot him a smile in return.    

"Right kids, food is served" Lincoln shouted,  everyone rose up from their various seats quickly, taking new seats around the table. Raven patted the seat next to her "Here, sit by me" she called out to Clarke who lingered towards the back of the group as everyone picked out their seats.

"Thanks" she whispered, as she sat down next to Raven.

Everybody began to tuck into their food, a comfortable silence hanging over everyone "Lincoln, this is literally the best food I've ever tasted" Clarke gasped in delight, in between mouthful's.   

"Well I am a chef for a living, I'm glad you like it Clarke" he teased, as Octavia swatted his arm.  

Clarke looked around at the table of people and she felt so at ease already, around people she'd only just met. Bellamy had a great group of friends and she was so thankful to him for introducing her to them.  

"So Clarke what bought you to Arkcadia?" Octavia asked. 

Clarke put her knife and fork down, taking a quick swig of her wine "Well uh. . . I was actually in med school training to be a doctor like my- my Mom. But it wasn't really for me, so I used some of the money my Dad had left me in his will and bought the studio. I love art and figured why the hell not do it for a living".  

Murphy's eyes widened "Med school? Wow. . . Is this where you tell us you studied at Harvard or something" he chuckled. 

Clarke snorted, covering it up quickly with a cough "Uh- actually yeah. . .  yeah I did" she squirmed in her seat uncomfortably, fiddling with her hands. 

"Okay, hold up" Raven's hand flew up "You went to freakin Harvad? You were at med school? That's insane, I'm actually on a scholarship in New York. I'm studying space engineering" she grinned. 

"I can't believe I know someone who's been to Harvard" Murphy gasped.

Clarke let out a steady chuckle "It's not all it's cracked up to be". 

Murphy being Murphy began to hound Clarke with questions "So what are the bathrooms like there, are they like super nice. I heard they had gold door knob's is that right?".

Clarke pulled a confused face "Uh, no there just bathrooms y'know. . . Normal?" she shrugged, not sure how else to answer Murphy's absurd questions.

Murphy sighed in disappointment before opening his mouth to ask another question , but Raven pinched his arm before he had chance to bore Clarke with another pointless question "John, not cool let the girl eat her food" she scolded him, sensing defeat he picked his fork up and began shovelling the rest of his food into his mouth quickly.

"Sorry about your Dad Clarke. Our Mom died two years ago, so I get it" Octavia whispered as she topped their wine glasses up.  

"I'm sorry too" Clarke frowned, placing her hand lightly on Octavia's shoulder "Cancer's a horrible thing" Octavia nodded in agreement, as they both took a swig of wine. 

After everyone had finished their food, Bellamy started to collect all the plates up from the table, Clarke appeared beside him "I'll help" she smiled, scooping empty glasses up in her arms.

They stood at the sink, washing up "Thanks for this" she nudged his shoulder gently.   

"No need to say thank you, it's hard being new in town. They really like you" he smiled.   

"I thought the mention of Harvard would have make them dislike me. Sometimes people see the school I went to, some of the clothes I sometimes wear, which by the way is all my Mom's influence I'm happy with a pair of leggings and a paint covered baggy top" she grinned breathlessly " and just decide I'm some spoilt brat. They never bother to get to know me. . . I'm glad they weren't like that because I really like them to" she quipped, passing him a plate to dry.   

"Well consider yourself part of this amazing, slightly dysfunctional family and for the record I think it's really cool you went to Harvard. Good for you Clarke. It's not everyday you meet someone who has brains as well as beauty" he replied, his arms stopping in mid air as his brain finally caught up with his mouth. 

He coughed awkwardly, thankful Clarke didn't respond, as she was to preoccupied trying to scrape the remaining pieces of food off the plates. Clarke's fingers brushed over his as they exchanged cutlery again, Bellamy cleared his throat his adams apple bobbing as he tried to focus on drying the plates and not the way her neck vein pulsated up and down as her arms worked hard to scrub the plates. 

It was nearing 11 o'clock and Clarke needed to be up early to open up the shop, she wished them all goodnight; swapping numbers with Raven. 

"We'll go out for lunch in the week or something" she nodded to Clarke as Bellamy insisted on walking her home.   

"Bellamy, I literally live 4 doors away" she laughed.   

"Clarke, you can never be too careful" he remarked, wagging his finger at her.  

"Just agree with him, you'll be here all night otherwise" Octavia advised Clarke. 

She rolled her eyes following Octavia's advice, giving in "Okay, okay fine" she laughed.    

He walked her to the door at the side of the shop, waiting until she put the key in the door.    

"Thanks again for tonight, I really enjoyed it. Your friends are great" she smiled.   

"Their your friends now too" he reminded her.   

"I'll see you then, thanks again Bellamy" She closed the door quickly behind her. 

Bellamy lingered outside "See you". 

 Raven and Murphy had left in the time Bellamy had been gone, Monty clocked his sudden reappearance, pulling Bellamy to one side.   

"'Clarke is great" he mumbled, his words rushed "You need to make a move Blake, she's fucking awesome" Monty's eyebrows rising as he lectured Bellamy on how life's too short and he can't be alone for ever.   

Bellamy placed his hands on Monty's shoulders, calming him down until his lips stopped moving. "Hey, you know my rule. Once my tour is over, I'll dedicate my life to finding someone to share it with, I promise" he nodded.   

Monty frowned, but understood Bellamy's reasons. Things were different for him and Miller; they'd been together for years.     

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys 
> 
> \- First of all, thanks for reading, please feel free to leave comments I LOVE getting feedback.
> 
> Secondly, this fic will be a long ass fic covering 3/4 years of their relationship.
> 
> So buckle up!!


	2. Chapter 2

A month had passed since Clarke's arrival in town and Bellamy's mood seemed to always improve whenever she was around and it didn't go unnoticed.  

Octavia cornered him one afternoon, after taking the kids to the park with Clarke "Your looking very happy" she smirked.  

"I'm  _always_ happy around my niece and nephew" he defended himself, knowing what Octavia was trying to get at.    

"Oh, right. So it has nothing at all to do with the pretty blonde who lives four doors down" she raised her eyebrows curiously.  

Bellamy hesitated and that was enough ammunition for Octavia "You like her, don't you?".   

"Yes, I do" he replied innocently "Just how I like Miller, Monty, Raven, and Murphy" Listing his friends off his fingers one by one.   

Octavia didn't push the conversation any further, leaving Bellamy to ponder in his thoughts.    

He dropped Clarke a message    

_Thanks for today, the kids love you :_ _)_    

She replied back instantly   

  _I was just about to text you the same thing, well not that the kids love you. Well I mean uh they do but fuck. Thanks for inviting me out. I love spending time with them!!_   

He smiled at his phone, holding it close to his chest so that Octavia's prying eyes couldn't read the chat.   

_They love spending time with you too X_     

He went upstairs to read Archie a bedtime story, tucking him in "Is Auntie Car coming tomorrow?" He asked, sucking his thumb. Bellamy shrugged "I'm not sure little man, we'll have to see" he kissed his nephew, placing his favourite teddy bear beside him.  

The next day, Octavia invited the gang around for a special meal, it was officially a month until Bellamy, Murphy and Miller would be deployed. Naturally, she invited Clarke not really elaborating on the purpose of the meal because she assumed that Clarke already knew.   

But it turns out she didn't.  

As they sat down to eat Octavia asked to say a prayer, everyone joined hands as Octavia started to speak.   

"Dear God, please watch over my brother Bellamy and my good friends, Miller and Murphy as they fulfil their tour. Protect them, look over them and please, keep them from harm’s way. I'm grateful for the life you've given me and hope it continues with them all still present in it. Amen".   

Clarke snatched her hand away from Bellamy's as the prayer came to a close, she shot him a hurt look; feeling upset he never mentioned he was in the Army, or that he was going to be deployed in four short weeks.   

Everyone tucked into their food, Clarke's eyes never left her plate, her head bowed as she ate quickly. Chatter filled the table, but Clarke excused herself from the table mumbling an apology as she walked out the back door. 

"Is she alright?" Murphy asked grabbing the left over bread roll off Clarke's plate. 

"I uh- I hadn't got round to telling her about the tour. Or any of it" Bellamy swallowed, everyone stilled at his words. 

"Blake. . . you can't be serious" Raven sighed, pushing her chair back abruptly as she rose from the table to find Clarke. 

"I thought she knew, I wouldn't of invited her if- I. . . sorry" Octavia shook her head, bowing her head sadly. Lincoln placed a comforting hand on her back "Hey, you weren't to know". 

"Poor Clarke" Murphy mumbled inbetween bites "I thought you'd have told her Blake. I mean you should of" he frowned. 

Bellamy loved Murphy, he was very honest but sometimes, like now he hated the fact he was so honest. He was right, he should of told Clarke but he just didn't know how.

"John" Miller warned, noticing the hurt behind Bellamy's eyes "Cut him some slack, we've never had to tell somebody important about it- they already knew" he reminded Murphy.

Clarke sat out in the back garden, Raven beside her as she ranted to her about Bellamy hiding it from her.    

"I honestly thought you knew, otherwise I would have said something" Raven rubbed Clarke's back in a soothing manner.    

"It's not a big deal; he didn't  _have_  to tell me. I just- I thought he would of y'know? I've been invited to this lunch and I didn't even know the story behind it" Clarke sighed, picking at the dried splotches of paint she'd missed off her hand.    

"Maybe he didn't want you to act different around him" Raven suggested. "It's hard to meet someone and have to explain they're not going to be here for a couple of months".  

"Maybe, but I wouldn't- he's my friend, I had a right to know" she swallowed.    

"Bellamy's a good guy Clarke, he hasn't kept this from you because he's a bad guy. Sometimes he's too nice and rather than tell you he's going away for 6 months he hasn't" Raven sighed, knowing she'd feel the same if she were in Clarke's shoes. 

Bellamy cleared his throat, making both girls jump as he appeared behind them.   

"Jheeze Blake, a little warning next time" Raven clutched her chest. She patted Clarke's shoulder, coaxing her to speak to Bellamy. Raven shot Bellamy a hopeful smile before walking back into the house.  

"Hey"    

"Why didn't you tell me" Clarke mumbled, refusing to look at him.   

"I know I should of, but I didn't want things to change" Bellamy sighed, taking a seat next to her on the bench.   

"Things wouldn't change Bellamy" she cut in sharply "I just wish you'd told me" she turned her face away from his. 

"Clarke, I like having you around. I haven't met anyone quite like you before" he rubbed his neck "I'm sorry" he frowned.  

Clarke sighed "it's okay, I just. We're good friends and I just thought you would have told me. I thought you trusted me, that's all".   

"Fuck Clarke don't say that- I do trust you. It's because we're such good friends that I didn't tell you, I didn't know how" he replied as honest as he could "I didn't want you to change how you were around me, it's a big deal me going away on a tour. I get it, but that's why I didn't tell you". 

"I'm going to miss you" her eyes looking to the sky, the sun making them a crazy shade of blue.  

"I'm going to miss you too Clarke" he sighed, placing his hand on her shoulder as she lent her head on it for comfort.    

* * *

The final month thankfully dragged at first, Bellamy tried to spend as much time as he could with his loved ones. Every day was a new adventure, making last minute plans to go out for dinner, or go for a picnic with everyone. He read a story to Archie every night and he always tucked Lily in. He knew his time was limited with them, so he made every precious second count. He'd be away for 6 month, March till September and he'd miss both of their birthdays.

They'd just entered week 3, only 12 more days until he'd be deployed, Octavia pulled him to one side, her hand resting steadily on his arm "Remember when you offered us your house" she whispered.   

Bellamy nodded, so Octavia continued "Does the offer still stand?" she asked. 

Bellamy broke out into a smile "Of course it does O".   

She let out a sigh of relief "Big Brother, I'll never be able to thank you enough" she hugged him tightly, feeling him smile wide against her ear.   

"I'm your brother, you don't owe me anything" he patted her back gently before breaking apart from her.    

"I'm going to see Clarke" he nodded.    

Octavia sent him a smile, Lily waving her Uncle goodbye as he made the short walk to Clarke's apartment.   

She opened the door, her wet hair wrapped in a towel above her head "Sorry, I over slept so I'm running behind a little". Bellamy rolled his eyes typical Clarke; she was very rarely  _ever_  on time.   

He walked over to her study, admiring her latest art work when he spotted a familiar face amongst the pages. "Is this Archie?" his eyes wide as he picked up a portrait baring a striking resemblance to his nephew.    

Clarke hurried over, snatching the portrait from Bellamy's grasp carefully "You weren't supposed to see that" she blushed "I was going to give it Octavia for her birthday" she tucked the drawing under her arm.   

"Clarke that's seriously amazing, she's going to love it" Bellamy beamed. 

Clarke Griffin _never_ failed to surprise him.    

Clarke blushed, Bellamy's opinion always meant a great deal to her.    

"Could you draw Lily too? Maybe even a family portrait, O would love that" he suggested, taking a seat in the living room.  

 "I already have" Clarke called out from her room. She appeared with several other drawings, giving them to Bellamy to look through. His fingers lightly traced over the lifelike drawings of the people who meant most to him.    

"You sure she'll like them?" Clarke asked, biting the inside of her cheek, her body shifting side to side as Bellamy's critical gaze wondered over the various drawings.  

Bellamy's eyes met hers "She'll absolutely love them" he stared at Clarke deeply, noticing the scar just above her bottom lip, just like his.  

She sat down next to him, his finger tracing lightly over the scar "How did you get that?".   

She held her breath until he moved his hand away "I don't remember. I was a little kid when it happened. How about you?" she asked, touching his scar in return.    

"Same here" he chuckled as she relaxed into his side.    

"Do we have to go out? I'm thinking we can order a takeout and just watch a film or something?" she asked. 

Bellamy nodded, his arm slotting between her head and the back of the couch "Yeah, fine by me" he whispered; trying to ignore the urge he had to kiss her pink lips that her teeth were currently gnawing on.  

They ate their way through a mountain sized pile of food, Clarke cradled her stomach "the food baby is real" she groaned, patting her stomach. 

Bellamy glanced down at his own bloated stomach, he was already regretting eating  _both_  a Chinese and Pizza. They watched some history documentary that Bellamy had been dying to watch, pestering Clarke until she finally caved, agreeing to watch it with him. 

A couple of hours had passed; they'd both had a little to drink, their eyes glassy. They were flirting harmlessly; like normal.    

"You’re so pretty Bellamy" she grinned, rubbing her hand through his boyish curls, before twirling the ends slowly around her finger. 

"No, you’re pretty Clarke" he whined, watching her intently as she blushed at his words.  

"Your prettier" she pouted, her breath hot against his cheek.   

"No... You are" he whispered. 

The air grew thick as Bellamy's tongue darted out to wet his lips, Clarke stared at that intensely, the urge to taste them overcoming her senses. 

She took the plunge, leaning closer to him as his eyes poured into hers. His hand ghosted over her cheek, before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Bellamy's lips found hers, she bit his bottom lip seductively, before kissing him passionately, moving her body so that she was straddling him, his hands on her back to steady her. He pulled her in close, breathing in her caramel scent his fingers sweeping through her hair as she moaned quietly into his mouth.  

She pulled him to his feet, stumbling backwards as they tried to prevent their mouths from leaving each other's. They collapsed onto her bed, a mess of limbs as they became entangled in her bed sheets. Their kisses became harsher, desperate for more. Bellamy's hand hovered over the clasp of her bra; he paused, looking into her eyes cautiously for permission.  Clarke nodded, kissing him one last time to reassure him. 

She re positioned herself on the bed, allowing Bellamy to take her bra off in one simple movement as she lay face down. His hands traced over the small infinity tattoo on her left shoulder, kissing it gently the stubble on his chin grazing her skin. He flipped her over, planting his hands just above her head, her fingers grasping at his biceps as she pulled him down, her lips crashing onto his.  

He kneaded her left boob in his one hand, his other rubbing roughly over the top of her trousers. She groaned softly into his mouth as she started to undo his belt, fumbling with the strap, huffing with annoyance that she couldn't undo it herself inbetween kisses.   

Bellamy laughed against her mouth, his hands finding hers before undoing the belt himself. Kicking his trousers off, his hands found Clarke's body again, slipping her jeans off. His fingers dancing up her legs, swirling around her knees before slowly making their way to her pants. Bellamy soaked in the sight of Clarke naked in front of him, as her eye's prowled over him as he threw his t-shirt to the side. He stared down at her, his eyes dark and lustful as he pushed two fingers inside. His finger pumped quickly in and out as he showered her collarbone with kisses.  

Clarke moaned into his ear as he added another finger, slowing his pace down. He stroked her face, pushing wayward strands of hair out her face, her eyes were deep pools of heaven, her pupils large.  

He pushed himself up, adjusting his body as he placed his cock near her entrance, he swallowed thickly as he darted his gaze to her face. She bit down on her lip hard, her hand touching his shaft before arching her back up to make it easier for him to put in.  

He slid into her slowly, not sure when the last time she'd had sex was. He took it slow at first, being cautious to her needs. Her finger nails grazed over his back as each thrust began to deepen, his fingers rubbing instinctively against her clit as Clarke's breaths became quicker, shorter, more intense. He willed himself to continue, scared he'd finish before she did.  

She gasped for breath, grinding her hips in time with his; sucking on his neck before nibbling at his collarbone as his pace quickened. She gasped loudly, her legs shaking as she clawed harshly on his shoulder blade. Her hips continued to roll into him, slower this time as her climax began to fizzle out. 

His body jerked forward quickly as his body slammed into hers, the noise of skin on skin echoing around her room as he let out a groan, his load filling her. Tiny droplets of sweat ran down his back as he climbed off the top of her. They lay next to each other, panting. The air felt thick, as their sweaty, pleasured bodies lay beside one another.  

Clarke looked up to him, smiling sheepishly as she slipped his t-shirt on. Her curtains were parted slightly, the moonlight illuminating her room, enhancing Bellamy's features  

He reached for his boxers that were crumpled on the floor "No, stay there. Lie back down" she said hastily. Bellamy did as she said, pulling the sheets over his cock, bunching them at the bottom of his hips as he lay back onto the pillows.  

She grabbed her sketch book off the side, her hand beginning to sketch quickly. Bellamy lay still, admiring Clarke's figure; his t-shirt clinging to all the right places of her curvy body. He gnawed at his lip, feeling hard once again as she placed her pencil inbetween her teeth; her full concentration on Bellamy as she added the small finer details that the moonlight captured that normal daylight didn't. 

Bellamy eventually drifted off to sleep, waking up only when he heard his phone ringing. It was Octavia.   

"Hey, O" he muttered sleepily.   

"Bellamy, are you alright, where are you?" she asked her voice sounding panicked.  

"I'm . . . at Clarke's" he cringed, he did not want to have this conversation with his sister, not now, not ever. 

He heard Octavia snort "Oh my fucking god" She cut him off before he had chance to moan at her.    

His hands found Clarke's waist, pulling her closer to him "Morning gorgeous" he whispered into her sea of tangled hair.    

Clarke yawned beside him "Morning" she smiled lazily at him, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. 

She turned to face him, she looked just as beautiful first thing in the morning as she did at any other time of day. He ran his hands through her hair as she rubbed her head against his shoulder.    

Clarke never asked what last night meant, what they were to each other. She knew his tour was coming up and that she wouldn't see him for a while, but she was happy to have him; even if it just was for now. 

They sat on the couch, half naked both sipping contently on their freshly brewed coffee. They lounged around Clarke's studio, dancing freely to some hippy CD that the previous owner had left behind. He twirled her around, hoisting her up by the hips, she fought against his soft grip.  

"Bellamy Blake. Put. Me. Down" she commanded sternly before her lips broke out into an infectious smile.  

Bellamy placed her back onto her own two feet, embracing her in a tight hug. "I really like having you in my life Clarke".  

Clarke didn't trust herself to speak so she just nuzzled into the space under his chin, pressing a soft kiss to his neck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jheeze - Am I the only one who finds it awkward writing smut like does it even sound good asdfghjhjlj
> 
> Feedback as always is appreciated guys :)


	3. Chapter 3

The day had finally arrived. Everyone gathered at Bellamy's house. A horrible silence filling the room. Everybody knew this day was coming, but nobody had really prepared for it.  

Miller took Monty's hand caressing it slowly "I love you so much" he whispered, kissing him "I'll be back in 6 months, I promise" placing a kiss to his hand. 

Monty blinked back the tears, knowing it would only make it harder for Miller to leave if he saw Monty cry "I love you too" he whispered into the crease of his neck. 

Raven sat quietly on Murphy's lap, stroking the back of his neck. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, never wanting to let go. "Come home to me in one piece John" Raven muttered into his ear, leaving a red lipstick stain on his cheek.    

Bellamy bent down, scooping Archie up into a bear hug "I'll see you soon little man, be good for you Mom and Dad" he smiled, his heart feeling heavy as he kissed Lily's head.    

Octavia had been bracing herself for months for this day, but even after all the preparation; she still didn't feel ready for it. "Be safe, that's all I ask" she whispered into his neck before kissing his cheek delicately.  

Lastly to say goodbye was Clarke, she sat on her own staring out the window; trying to put off saying goodbye for as long as possible.    

But the time eventually came; Bellamy placed a hand on her elbow, turning her to face him. Since that night, Clarke began to realise just how much she liked Bellamy and how much she needed him in her life. He pulled her in close, burying his head in the side of her neck. Now he knew why he never wanted to find somebody, someone that he loved because it made saying goodbye a million times harder.    

"This isn't goodbye Clarke, I'll see you again" he promised, kissing the side of her face.  

"I know, I'll still be here when you get back" she whispered back, leaning in to kiss to his lips.   

"You better be".  

She pulled away, hugging Miller and Murphy goodbye.   

They all stood at the end of the drive waiting for the bus to pick them up, bags slung over their shoulders. Silence filled the air, as everyone dealt with their impending departures in their own way.

Bellamy blew Clarke a kiss through the bus window as it pulled off, the boys significant others and Octavia stood at the end of the drive, waving sadly until the bus disappeared. They stood around one another, Monty sniffed as he allowed his tears to fall freely down his cheeks. 

"What if he doesn't come back" He choked, wiping the tears off his cheeks. 

Raven took him under her arm, trying to give him some kind of comfort. "Hey, we have each other for now. Until they come home, we have each other. No matter the time, place, when we need each other, we're there for each other" Raven nodded, as the others hummed in agreement.  

Clarke filled her days up with minding the shop, sketching and pretty much living at Bellamy's house with Octavia and the kids. In the day she kept herself preoccupied with things to do, but when the day turned to night and she lay in bed alone her mind would wonder to Bellamy. 

Is he okay? Is he alive? Does he think about me? 

She tossed and turned most nights, her mind unable to shut down and let her sleep. Sometimes she'd perch herself on the window seat and stare up into the sky, mumbling to it as if it was Bellamy. She wondered if he thought of her as often as she thinks of him, if he missed her, if he craved her touch as she craved his. 

She finally heard from him, 2 weeks after he'd left. She received a letter in the post, hand written. 

She  _knew_ it was from him.   

_Clarke,_    

_I'm safe, well, I'm doing okay. I hope you’re doing okay without me, I know Octavia mentioned you going over more to keep_ _each_ _other_ _company. Please give_ _Lily_ _and Archie a kiss from their Uncle Bee. I miss them so much it hurts. Only 5 more months left until I get to set my eyes on you again, I'm marking the days off. If while I'm gone you find somebody else, go for it. Don't let me stop you._   

_Promise me that._    

_I don't want to ever hold you back._ _I doused my uniform in your perfume before I left, it helps me sleep - almost like your sleeping here next to me. Miller and Murphy say hi._ _Also_ _,_ _can you remind Octavia to water my strawberry plant on my window sill, I_ _forgot_ _to mention it when I called her,_ _I_ _don't want it to die._   

_Anyway_ _,_ _the food here is worse than your cooking for sure, but it's better than nothing._   

_I miss you all day every day._    

_I can't wait to see you,_    

_Yours Truly,_    

_Bellamy_     

She held the letter close to her chest, praying he was still safe and well "I miss you too" she whispered into the darkness. 

Across the state, a few hundred miles away Bellamy lay on his side, the rough stitching of his camp bed scratching across his bare arms. The dimly lit room held an eerie silence, his long drawn out breaths the only audible sound, other than Millers soft snores that escaped between his parted lips every few minutes.

Bellamy's tired eyes were fixated on the two pictures leaning against his clock. Octavia, Lincoln, his niece and nephew were on one photo, their eyes wide, smiles bright. Bellamy had taken that photo, it was his favourite of the four of them and it was the first thing he packed.

The next photo was of Clarke, just Clarke.

It was taken two weeks before he'd left for his tour. She was mid sentence, her cheeks raised as she was rambling on about some dumb joke she was trying and failing to remember. Bellamy wasn't much of a photographer, but he'd managed to capture every single thing he loved about Clarke Griffin in this one photo. Her clear blue eyes, her infectious smile, the way her golden hair framed her angelic face, the way his tshirt bunched up her legs, clinging to her thighs, her charisma - just everything. 

He stared longingly at the photo, his fingers slowly caressing over the picture of Clarke, he felt a pull in his stomach, a painful sad sensation. He gulped, swallowing his feelings that were threatening to expose themselves. 

You can't be weak, he reminded himself. Not here. 

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, his jaw sticking out predominantly as he clenched his teeth together. 

Sighing, he placed the photo of Clarke back down beside he photo of his family, "Goodnight" he whispered into the darkness "I miss you all".

* * *

Another letter followed 4 weeks later.    

_Clarke,_    

_Sorry it's taken me so long to write to you again, we keep moving around and I can't always send letters out - I hope that's okay._

_The foods slowly getting better - thank god. I burnt my nose the other day and now I look like freakin Rudolph, my freckles are really standing out and I've attached a photo of them (I thought you'd appreciate the details for your sketches of me - I mean if your still sketching me that is. No pressure right?_

_I hope_ _you_ _'re_ _eating properly, Octavia mentioned you'd lost some weight._   

_Clarke Griffin eat your damn three meals a day, I like your curves too damn much!_

_I get a_ _nother_ _phone call next week so I'm going to call Octavia so please make sure your there._ _I never thought it would be this hard. Period._    

_I hope your still waiting for me_ _._     

_Yours Truly,_     

_Bellamy_    

 

Clarke folded the letter back into the envelope before pulling out the photograph of Bellamy. It was technically the first time she'd seen him in 2 months, his messy curls were blowing in multiple directions, a cheesy grin on his face. His dog tag hung down his neck reflecting off the sun, his lean muscular arms flexing as they rested across his chest.  

He was right, his freckles  _were_  prominent against his tan skin. His eyes were bordering on a hazel colour, something she'd never seen before.

The skin around his eyes were creased from his giant smile and Clarke felt her heart twang with a mixture of love and sadness. Her mouth was ajar, it felt like time had suddenly stopped as she stared intently at the palm sized Bellamy. He looked well, happy. She carefully propped the picture against the clock on her night stand, finding herself dropping off almost instantly. 

* * *

The following week, Clarke spent every day and night at Octavia’s; terrified to the bone that she'd miss Bellamy's call.    

It was 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when the house phone rang; Octavia raced over to it, Lily in one arm, a bottle of milk in the other.    

"Bellamy" she cried, shouting Clarke to come inside.   

"Bellamy, I miss you so much" Octavia stuttered, as Clarke ran in, Archie resting on her hip. 

"O, God I miss you to" he swallowed back the crack in his voice.  

"We're all here, say hello you’re on speaker" Octavia instructed. 

"Uh, Hello?" Bellamy called out.   

Archie ran over to the phone, "Uncle Bee when are you coming home?".   

Bellamy's breath hitched at hearing his nephew say his name "Soon,  real soon Arch".   

"Is Clarke there?" Bellamy asked, his heart hammering against his chest; dread setting in at the long pause.   

"I'm right here, we all miss you". 

The sound of Clarke's soft voice eased his fears, his mind becoming soothed as his doubts that maybe she'd moved on and found somebody new were swept away.    

“I miss you all too, I can’t wait to come home” he choked.   

"Me either" Clarke let out a small sigh, blinking back the tears as his familiar voice rang in her ears.

He'd only got a minute left on the phone, he decided to wrap up the conversation; keeping his emotions under firm lock and key. They don’t need to hear you cry he told himself as he reluctantly hung up.   

* * *

The next 5 months flew by,  as the days rolled into weeks, weeks rolled into months; time was moving surprisingly quick and it prompted Clarke to write a letter every day to Bellamy to tell him about her day. So that when he came home he would feel like he’d been there all along, like he hadn’t missed out on anything. 

Clarke and Octavia worked closely together to ensure every new development the children made was documented somehow, for Bellamy's benefit but also for Lincoln's. He was overseas right now, he left two weeks after Bellamy, a last minute job that he couldn't turn down, Octavia didn't know when he'd be coming home, everytime he'd find an opportunity to come home he'd be pulled into another job.

So when Archie and Lily's birthdays came around, Clarke recorded the whole day kind of like a video blog for them.  

"So here we have Archie opening his birthday present from his amazing Auntie Clarke" She grinned biased as she zoomed in on Archie's face as he ripped open the wrapping paper enthusiastically. 

A child sized easel appeared through the mound of paper, with a selection of art supplies. "Auntie Car!" He gasped, stamping his feet in excitement.  

"Now he can be an amazing artist just like his favourite Auntie" she grinned, panning the camera back to her. She looked deep into the lens, "Don't worry he loved your presents to". 

On Lily's 1st Birthday, Clarke hired a photo booth for the party and a bouncy castle.  

"Clarke how much do I owe you?" Octavia asked, riffling through her purse. 

Clarke placed her hand over Octavia's stilling them "Absolutely nothing, we're family O" she smiled. 

Octavia couldn’t argue with that so she pulled Clarke into a tight hug "Their going to be so upset they missed this" she breathed into her hair. 

"I know, but with all the videos and pictures I've taken, it will feel like they were here" Clarke nodded, reaching over to pick the video recorder back up. 

"Hey gorgeous girl, will you give daddy a wave" Clarke cooed as she videoed Lily playing in her new ball pit.  

The one year old smiled at the mention of her Dad, her chubby cheeks rising as she waved her left arm quickly. Clarke felt her hand shake, feeling wrong that she was present and Lincoln wasn't, she shut the recorder off, joining Raven on the bouncy castle. 

"Clarke, just so you know I want one of these at my party" Raven shouted breathlessly as she jumped around like a four year old.

Octavia watched Clarke from afar, she was grateful for the continuous support Clarke offered her, being a shoulder for her to lean on. They had sparked up a very close friendship, a strong bond shared between two women who missed somebody they loved dearly.

Lincoln being gone had left a bleak hole in Octavia's life, but Clarke was there, staying over most nights, Octavia finding it weird to wake up without Clarke being there, slowly Clarke, Raven and Monty had begun to fill Octavia's whole; keeping her company when she needed it most. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sigh - the feels of the guys leaving :( 
> 
> Also pree the Auntie Clarke vibes I'm getting rn


	4. Chapter 4

3 weeks before the boys were due home, Clarke received a call. 

It was 2am and Clarke's stomach dropped was it  _the_ call.   

She debated whether to answer but then she saw the name on the screen through her blurred vision, it was Raven. She swiped at her phone screen quickly, holding her phone shakily in her hand, pressing it to her ear.

Raven was sobbing down the phone “Can you come and get me from the hospital” she spluttered, her voice hoarse.

“I’m on my way” Clarke didn’t hesitate, ringing Monty on her way to the hospital – leaving Octavia a note on the kitchen table.

Was it Murphy? Or had something happened to Raven’s Uncle?

Beads of sweat dripped off Clarke as she drove over countless red lights, her mind a blur of panic as she ran into the hospital asking for Raven. The receptionist eyed Clarke suspiciously.

“Are you a family member?” She frowned.

“I’m her sister in law” she snapped back, saying the only believable relation she could pass for.   

The nurse nodded, giving her some complex directions and making her squirt some soap onto her hands.

“Full disclosure, it isn’t pretty” The nurse whispered, her eyes staring down at Clarke pitifully.

Monty rang Clarke as she approached the closed off ward where there were only single private rooms. Her tired eyes searched for Reyes or Murphy on the boards outside each of the rooms.

"I'm outside, where should I head?" He asked sirens blaring in the background.

Clarke eventually found Raven's room reciting the room number to Monty. She knocked on the door before opening it quickly, her eyes slowly opening, scared at what they would see.

Raven lay on the hospital bed, a leg brace strapped tightly to her right leg. She had cuts to her cheeks, a deep cut on her shoulder that a nurse was currently stitching up. Her foot was bare, her right toes all bent waywardly to the side. Raven winced as the nurse tugged one last time, before finally finishing her stitches.

Clarke's hand fell to the side, Monty calling out to her as she dropped her phone onto the floor in shock. Her mouth was parted; her brain not processing the state Raven was in, she couldn't conjure up anything to say. 

A hand touched her shoulder, it was Monty, He too took the same wordless stance as Clarke.

"Oh my god Raven" he whispered taking a cautious step towards the end of the bed.

Clarke reached for Ravens hand, she flinched at the contact; the crease in Clarke's head deepening.

"Your friend is very lucky to be alive" The nurses nodded.

"Anything, even death is better than this" Raven cried, pointing at her leg.

"What happened?" Clarke whispered, taking the seat beside Ravens bed.

"I went for a ride on my motorbike, when some fucking moron ran a red light, completely wiped me out. They don't think- I'll be able to . . . walk properly again" Raven bit back the tears, her voice wavering.

"How am I ever going to walk down the aisle with this? Or play with my kids, what will Murphy think" she gulped, the fear evident in her bloodshot eyes.

"Raven Reyes" Monty scolded her "Murphy won't care about this, he loves you, all of you".

Clarke nodded in agreement, although the underling panic in Raven's face said different.

"I can't live with this" she sighed, submitting to her emotions as a tear ran down her face.

In the weeks to follow Clarke, Octavia and Monty became Ravens primary careers, they hadn't spoken to Murphy in weeks so he didn't know about her accident, or her condition.

Clarke wanted to call the home office and get a message to him, so he could come home early from his tour and be there for her. But Raven was adamant Murphy wasn't to know. They respected her wishes, but they all felt awful keeping something like this from the boys.

As their arrival day neared, Ravens mood became unbearable as she lashed out of everyone, assuring them she was capable of looking after herself. "Leave me the hell alone, I can fucking do it" she snapped shaking Monty's hands off her arms as she tried to stand with her crutches.

They did as she wished, backing off. But after only an hour they found her on the floor, she'd fallen over and she couldn't get herself back up. Against her will, they picked her up; continuing with their round the clock care for her.

Being incapable of taking care of herself ate at Raven every day, not having Murphy around only heightened her anger towards herself and her new disability. She avoided looking in floor length mirrors, the horrid contraption on her leg made her start to resent herself. 

"He'll see me differently" she whispered one night as Clarke lay next to her on the bed. "I don't want him to pity me Clarke- I. . . I'm strong or at least I was and I don't want to feel like a burden" her voice cracking as she covered her face with a pillow.

"Raven, you are one of the strongest people I've ever met in my life. Murphy loves you, he literally worships the ground you walk on. You won't be a burden" she stroked her hair softly until Raven fell asleep on her tear soaked pillow. 

* * *

The day had finally arrived the boys were all finally coming home.  Octavia and Monty waited outside the house for the bus to arrive, while Clarke stayed inside with Raven trying to calm her friend's nerves.

"What if this is too much for him?" She whispered, gesturing to her leg. Clarke gave her a reassuring smile "Raven, he  _loves_   you". 

They heard the bus outside halt to a stop, Raven held her breath, sneaking a look through the window. Miller stepped out first, he'd lost weight as Monty's arms were able to reach all around his torso as he held him tight, his chin buried deep into Millers neck.  

Murphy was next, he stepped out his smile fading when he noticed Raven wasn't there. Clarke and Raven watched him mouth Raven's name, as Octavia motioned towards the house. Octavia grabbed Murphy's arm as he walked towards the house "Just- be calm" she whispered.

Octavia's words confused Murphy as he entered the house calling out Ravens name like a sweet song. He turned the corner, his smile bright as he spotted Raven and his favourite blonde having a muffled conversation.  "Almost thought you'd fucked off and left me then Reyes" he grinned.

Raven's eyes widened as they found his, Murphy noticed the wavering fear in her eyes, as his eyes swept over her. He caught something reflecting off the sunlight on her leg, his eyes squinting as the leg brace came into view.  His smile vanished, as Raven shot Clarke a worried look.

"Raven, what the... what the hell happened?!" He shouted, his fingers trembling as he crouched down to touch her leg. Raven took a shaky step back, her hands leaning heavily on Clarke for support.

Murphy looked distraught, wiping away his tears as Clarke explained what happened to Raven, as Raven stared blankly at the wall to scared to look at Murphy.    

"Why didn’t you call?" He cried "I would have come home, how could you keep this from me. God Raven I love you, I should have been here" his arms flying around in annoyance. 

Raven looked down, feeling Murphy's angry glare on her head. She swallowed, not knowing what to say. Because truth be told, she didn't know why she didn’t call the base. He could have come home, looked after her like she wanted him to since the day of her accident, but for some reason; the thought of him being her career, destroyed her.  

"I didn’t want you to pity me, I wanted you to just treat me like everybody else, like I'm normal" she whispered.

Murphy took her hand in his "I will never stop loving you, ever. Your special to me and I will take care of you, always" the sincerity in his voice, caused tears to form in Ravens eyes.

"I love you John Murphy" she smiled. 

"And I love you, Raven Reyes". 

Clarke walked outside joining Octavia as she waited for Bellamy to get off the bus. They shared a smile, as his infamous curls came into view. His bag slung lazily over his broad shoulders, as he waved goodbye to the driver. He inhaled deeply, letting the familiar scents of home fill his lungs. 

He dropped his bag at his feet, opening his arms wide as Octavia and Clarke ran over to him. Each woman tucked under an arm, as he enveloped them into a tight hug. Clarke's smile was so wide her cheeks began to ache but she couldn't bring herself to stop smiling.

She took a small step back, drinking in the sight of Bellamy. His hair was a little longer, a little wilder, a tiny yelp left Clarke's mouth as she stared at him; a part of her not believing it was really him, that he was home. 

He took her hand inbetween his, their fingers interlinking as they walked back into the house, everyone gathering in the living room. Clarke nodded her head at Raven, who gave her a small smile back; her eyes drifting to Murphy who sat beside her, his hands intertwined with hers. 

"It's so nice to have you all back" Octavia cried, as they all sat contently together. 

"It's nice to be back" A voice said from by the door, Octavia's head snapped around; Lincoln lent against the door frame, his infectious smile spreading like wildfire as Octavia ran into his arms, holding onto him tightly.

"Your home" she gasped into his chest.

"I sure am" he replied, kissing the top of her head. 

Archie came stumbling in from the kitchen, his toy train in his hand. He stopped, noticing his Dad and his Uncle had finally come home. "Daaaaaaaaa" he screamed, as Lincoln picked him up, lifting him above his head.

"Uncle Bee" he squealed as Bellamy began to tickle his tummy as Lincoln hung him upside down by his ankles.

The girls and Monty had cooked a feast for the boys return, they all gathered around the table, eating, drinking; a feeling of content filling the room. 

Clarke rounded everybody up, pushing them into the living room.

"So uh. . . why you were all gone, I made a kind of video blog thing, so that you wouldn't technically miss out on anything" she smiled, before settling into a cushion on the floor, pressing play on the remote.

It wasn't until she began to watch the footage on the TV that Clarke realised just how  _much_  she'd filmed.

Archie and Lily's birthdays were obvious days she'd filmed, but there were random videos of an impromptu picnic they all had at the park, or footage of a lightning storm at three in the morning that had woke everybody up. 

Everyone watched the tapes wistfully, Bellamy's eyes glassed over a few times, but then something funny would happen and he'd blink back the tears quickly.

Griffin, that was seriously so cool. You made me feel things" Murphy whispered, placing a shaky hand on top of his heart. Clarke blushed, Murphy didn't compliment anyone, so this was a big deal. 

As the day began to draw to a close, everyone gradually began to leave. Bellamy, who was exhausted went to walk upstairs with his bag, when it dawned on him that he didn’t live here anymore.   

He walked back into the living putting the bag in front of his feet, feeling embarrassed. "Uh, O. Can I stay on the sofa tonight?" He asked.   

"You can stay with me if you'd like?" Clarke cut in "I have a spare room" she nodded, letting Bellamy know he didn’t have to rush into things with her.   

"Are you sure?" He asked, surprised.

"Of course I am" she shrugged, grabbing her coat.

"That would be great. Thanks Clarke" he smiled back, before bidding his sister goodnight. He unpacked his bag, filling Clarke's spare draws with his clothes; it felt oddly satisfying, like he was leaving his mark in her territory. 

He hadn't mentioned anything about  _them_ yet. He didn't know if she still felt the same, although when he caught her staring at him with her heavenly blue eyes, he knew. 

He just  _knew_  she still wanted him the way he wanted her. 

They cuddled on the sofa that night, their bodies intertwined, their limbs tangled up as her cheek was pressed against his bare chest. She could hear his heart beating, reminding her that he was here. 

He was real. 

He was  _home_. 

Clarke felt content for the first time in months, her fingers following the line of his jaw before hovering over his lips, stroking over his identical upper lip scar he shared with her. Bellamy lent down, kissing her forehead, his lips lingering on her skin. He cupped her cheeks, as she nuzzled into them smiling sleepily. 

"Let's go to bed" he whispered, as he picked her up bridal style. 

She laughed effortlessly against his chest trying to fight her way out of his grasp. Eventually giving up as he placed her softly onto her bed. He pulled the covers over her, tucking her in. 

"Stay with me" she asked her voice barely a whisper.

He hesitated for only a second before taking his jeans off, slipping into bed beside her. She moulded into his side, fitting perfectly into the curve of his body as he traced circles lightly on her back. 

Clarke felt her eyelids grow heavy; the last thing she saw was Bellamy's face before she let herself submit to the darkness, his fingers gently lulling her to sleep. 

"I'm glad you waited for me" he whispered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my poor baby Raven / Raven fucking Reyes is a Queen who deserves to be happy (JR I'M TALKING TO YOU) 
> 
> Also - I'm kinda getting vibes for Raven and Zeke (spoilers from show sorry) is anyone else feeling it? I love her and Murphy but check out my other fic where she's paired with Roan
> 
> !!!


	5. Chapter 5

Bellamy had officially moved in with Clarke, the spare room was his room, although he always ended up sleeping in Clarke's room with her. He hadn't asked her out, so they weren't officially dating. But Clarke didn’t care, she'd wake up every morning and he'd be staring down at her like she was the most beautiful being in the world.   

It was nearing the end of September and more importantly nearing Clarke's birthday. Everyone was sitting outside Octavia's backyard, sprawled out on blankets that lay on the grass. Raven was busy making daisy chains with Lily and Archie, Murphy sat behind her playing with her hair, Octavia was deep in conversation about something with Miller and Monty, Clarke lay with her head on Bellamy's chest as she stared up at the sky.  

"Your eyes are insane, they change all the time" Bellamy said, his head peering over hers blocking her view of the sky. 

"You're such a dork" she laughed as he bent down to kiss her passionately. 

Octavia cleared her throat "keep it PG guys, we have little ones here" she reminded them. 

They broke apart quickly, Clarke sat up as her cheeks turned pink.  

"What date is your birthday Griffin?" Raven asked, tying a daisy bracelet onto Archie's wrist. 

"The twenty second why?" Clarke asked. 

Ravens lips curled to the side "Just wondering".  

Monty butted in, changing conversation "Hey, me and Miller had this idea" he paused, waiting until he had everyone's attention.  

"Proceed Green" Murphy gestured. 

"Well me and Miller are going to get our intials on our wedding ring fingers, we're going next week and we wondered if anyone else was up for it" he smiled, taking Millers hand in his. 

"You want us all to have an M on our wedding fingers?" Murphy smirked arrogantly, Raven slapped the back of his head.  

"Shut up John" She groaned. 

"We just thought it would be cool, a proper couples thing y'know?" Miller said casually as he rubbed Monty's shoulder. 

Raven hummed "I'm in, so is Murphy". 

Everyone turned to face Clarke and Bellamy, "How about you, you both in?" Miller asked. 

Clarke bit her lip looking to Bellamy "Uh" he paused, clearing his throat "We're uh- let us think about it" he nodded. 

Clarke felt awkward, excusing herself to the bathroom. She ran quickly, shutting the door forcefully behind her. Her hands lent on the basin, as she stared back at her reflection on the mirror.  

He doesn't want to be with me she thought as she turned the taps on to disguise her muffled tears. It felt stupid, that she was so hurt by his reaction because in theory she didn't say anything herself.  

There was a sharp knock on the door "Clarke, are you alright?". 

God it  _had_ to be him. She ignored him, turning the taps on full to completely drown out his voice. 

He continued to hammer on the door "Clarke, open the door" the door knob began to shake as he pulled on it. 

Clarke sighed, turning the taps off as she faced the door; taking a deep breath. She opened the door, Bellamy was lent against the wall, his panicked eyes searching her red blotchy face.  

"You've been crying" it wasn't a question. 

"I haven't" Clarke lied attempting to walk past him but he blocked her way. 

"You’re a shit liar Clarke" his hand pulling on her elbow "What's wrong?" He asked, his eyes full of concern. 

"Nothing, I'm fine" she tried to shake him off, but this only encouraged him. 

"Clarke" he whispered, his eyes searching her glassy blue ones. 

"Don't look at me like that" she cried, clenching her jaw. 

"Just tell me what's wrong" he pleaded, cupping her cheeks. 

"Do you want to be with me?" she muttered, her voice sounding small.

Bellamy's hand left her face within seconds, like her skin had burnt his fingertips, his mouth parted but no words came out.  

Clarke huffed, his silence was a good enough answer for her "Fuck you Bellamy". 

"No Clarke- wait- please just wait". 

Clarke ignored his pleas, storming out of Octavia's house back to their. . . her place. 

She rushed upstairs not bothering to close the doors behind her because she knew he was following behind her hastily.  

She sank onto her bed, staring around at her room that had become  _their_ room. 

"I think I'm starting to feel things for you Clarke" His words came out strangled as he lingered by the doorway.  

"You think?" She snorted, cutting her eyes at him angrily. 

"No I- I am. I have this feeling inside, that I've never felt before, about anyone. Ever " the confession rolling off his tongue, with no plans of stopping. 

Clarke's foot stopped aggressively tapping on the wooden floor, she looked to him, his eyes wide in fear. 

"I've never. . .  never been in love before. I've never actually had a girlfriend, not really. Hook ups yeah, loads of them but I've never actually been with somebody. You make me. . . feel things. Things I've never experienced before and I just- don’t know how to. . . " he placed his shaky hands behind his head as he approached her cautiously.  

"Bellamy I- It's okay" Clarke whispered calmly, "We can just take one day at a time".  

"We don't have to rush into anything, whatever you want is fine by me" he whispered, his finger brushing over her cheek.    

She took his hand, a feeling of mutual understanding resting upon them, he puled her up off the bed as he motioned towards the door. "They'll be getting worried, we better head back". 

"Yeah, your right" Clarke nodded, resting her head under his arm as they walked slowly back to Octavia's.  

"Where the hell have you two been?" Octavia shouted, storming over to them. "I got worried".  

Bellamy squeezed Clarkes hand "This one had left the bathroom tap running at home" he laughed, giving Clarke a teasing smile. 

"Oh. . . right" Ocatvia gave them an unsure hum, her hand resting on her hip as she stared intensely at Clarkes puffy eyes.  

"You okay?"  

Clarke nodded back "I couldn't be better". 

They joined everyone back on the blankets, nobody else questioned their sudden disappearance and they were thankful for it.  

"Me and Clarke are in" he whispered to Miller "We'll have the tattoo's to". 

Miller clapped Bellamy on the back his eyes looking to Clarke "She's a good one Blake, I'm glad you see it to" he smiled. 

Bellamy blushed "She sure is". 

* * *

 The next time they all got together was to get their tattoos done, Miller and Monty went first seen as it was their idea.  

They both had a small plain M on their ring fingers, Monty pressed a soft kiss to the small red area on Millers finger.  

Raven and Murphy were next, they went for something slightly different; Raven had a small cockroach on her ring finger Clarke stared at it in confusion. 

"Believe it or not when we first met, I hated him- like hated everything about him. I used to call him a cockroach and yeah. . . it felt right to have that" Raven laughed, watching Murphy try to hide his yelps as he had a small raven bird tattooed onto his finger.  

"That's very unique" Clarke laughed nervously, she was next. 

Clarke had gone for a dog tag that had Bellamy's initials and ID number on it. She tapped her foot repeatedly off the floor, she had bony fingers and it hurt like a bitch.  

Bellamy was next and he'd gotten Clarke to draw his tattoo out for him too, it was a capital bold  **C** with a princess crown placed above it.

Everyone stood in a circle, admiring eachothers pieces of artwork, Clarke stared at hers a little longer necessary - a bleak thought crossing her mind. . .

_What if this is all I have left of him one day?_

She mentally scolded herself for thinking so negatively, that and the fact she hadn't really known him  _that_ long in retrospect but yet she felt like she'd known him for ages and the thought of never seeing him again, never hearing his laugh or feeling his wet lips on hers,  filled Clarke with such dread it scared her; because like Bellamy, she too had never been in  _love_ and it scared her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh - I thought the tattoo thing would be a cute af thing to do, but trying to write it I don't feel I actually conveyed how sweet it was??? 
> 
> Leave some feedback guys :)


	6. Chapter 6

It was the morning of Clarke's birthday, she awoke to breakfast in bed. Bellamy being the utter dork he was placed her food on the plate so it spelt ' Happy Birthday Princess '.  

"Happy Birthday Gorgeous" he beamed bending down to give her a kiss, his lips lingered on hers a beat too long. 

She pulled him down beside her before climbing on top of him. His top riding dangerously high up her body, he groaned at the sight, biting down on his lip. She smiled at him playfully before placing tentative kisses to his face and neck.  

She stretched her arms high in the air, Bellamy peeked up the top seeing she was wearing absolutely nothing. His mouth watered, his hands snaking around her hips.  

Clarke pulled the top off throwing it onto the floor, her tits bobbing up and down as she bounced on top of him, his hands pushing her up and down. A childlike laugh escaped from her mouth, as she crawled down to his jeans, unzipping them slowly; plaguing him. He groaned as she started to caress his balls, stroking over the top of his boxers gently, rubbing her hand against his hardening dick.  

She took one of Bellamy's fingers sticking it inside her mouth sucking on it seductively before pulling it out again. He pulled her close, kissing her passionately as he kicked his boxers off, his dick pushed against her body.  

She positioned herself over his head, holding her body weight up against the wall as his tongue began to dart feverishly against her clit. His finger joined his tongue, pumping in and out quickly as her hips grinded hard against his tongue. She moaned, arching her back as her strides became quicker as she rocked back and forth over his face, pressing down onto his tongue.

Bellamy kept in time with her grinding, bringing his other hand up to rub over her nipple, the sensation making it harden as she bit down on her lip to stop a groan escaping. She rode his face enthusiastically, feeling his hot breaths between her thighs, her hips buckled sharply as she began to reach her peak, Bellamy's tongue licked her clit quicker as her thighs squeezed together "Oh my god" she gasped her own hands cupping her tits as she continued to ride his face until eventually her orgasm came to an end. She slid off his head, breathless as she slipped his dick inside her wet parting.  

Bellamy smiled smugly at her flustered face, as she kissed him desperately. He pounded into her sharply, keeping one hand firmly on her bum to steady her. He groaned loudly, his voice hoarse in her ear as she felt his load inside her, his dick pulsating violently.  

Clarke sighed in satisfaction, as she rolled onto her side, nuzzling into his chest.

* * *

 They spent the afternoon at Octavia's all their friends were there, Archie and Lily to.  

Octavia handed Clarke her present first "From me, Linc and the kids" she smiled. 

Clarke accepted the present, unwrapping the ribbon slowly. It was a brand new camera, a pricy one for sure.  

She frowned at Octavia "O. . .  this is too much". 

"Nonsense Clarke, your family remember" she smiled, using Clarkes very own words against her.  

"You were great with the video camera and I don’t know. . . your amazing at drawing so I figured you'd be a great photographer to" Octavia nodded, watching Clarke play around with the camera like a little kid.  

"Smile for me" Clarke shouted, as Octavia pulled a goofy face, Lincoln sticking his tongue out to the side.  

"This is amazing, thank you so much" Clarke beamed. 

She had some perfume, some milk chocolate buttons (her favourite), some Disney pyjamas and a cheque for five thousand dollars off her Mom.  

"Nice" Murphy whistled, noticing it in her pile of cards. 

 "No. . . it's not nice" Clarke sighed, moving it to the back of the cards. 

Raven shot Murphy a warning look, they all knew how strained her relationship was with her Mom, how she tried to  _buy_ her daughter to get her own way. 

Bellamy pulled Clarke to one side his arms resting on top of her shoulders "I got you something". 

Clarke stayed silent in anticipation as Bellamy reached into his back pocket, it was a small square box and suddenly Clarkes stomach felt queasy. 

Was this what she thought it was?

Bellamy noticed her wide eyes "Hey. . . I'm not proposing" he laughed, massaging her shoulder reassuringly as he continued to chuckle. 

Clarke let out a breath, her cheeks hot with embarrassment.  

He opened the box to reveal a ring, a modest silver band lined with two diamonds.  

Clarke gasped as he placed the ring over her tattoo "Perfect fit" she whispered. 

Bellamy smiled, caressing her hand "I just- I know I have two more tours to complete and I don't want to keep you waiting for ever. So, this is my 'Clarke please be patient with me, I swear it will be worth it in the long run' ring. Think of it as a promise ring, or something like that" His face beaming as his finger stroked over the ring that had taken it's intended place on her finger. 

"Your amazing" Clarke beamed wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I legit need someone to teach me how to write smut because I feel I write it so shit omg. 
> 
> On a lighter note - I've updated my other fic so please go give it a read :)


	7. Chapter 7

It was Christmas Eve and Archie and Lily were helping Octavia and Clarke make the cookies for Santa.  

"Arch, you're supposed to mix the chocolate chips not eat them" Octavia whined as the toddler stuffed a dozen or so into his mouth. 

Lincoln chuckled as he prepared the turkey for tomorrow, stuffing it with various spices. Bellamy sat at the table reading through the checklist "Are we opening our presents altogether when everyone else gets here? Accept for the kids, they can open theirs first thing, right?" He asked, biting the end of his pen.  

"Yeah, I'll get the dinner done for around one, so they'll all be here around twelve ish " Lincoln nodded, placing the turkey in the slow cooker.  

Bellamy nodded, crossing the presents off his list. Clarke grabbed her camera, taking some candid's of the kids making cookies with Octavia, some of Lincoln with his Mrs Claus apron on and some of Bellamy redecorating the Christmas tree. 

By the time they'd sorted the house out for tomorrow it was already 12.30pm, "Merry Christmas Clarke" he whispered dragging her underneath the mistletoe. 

He kissed her lips, tasting the cookie dough she'd been eating, she grabbed the collar of his jumper pulling him closer as her tongue pushed against his. 

Octavia swiped a sneaky photo of them, before placing Clarke's camera back onto the table as Lincoln threw a smirk her way.  

* * *

 They woke up, their bodies wrapped inbetween the sheets. Bellamy pressed a lazy kiss to her forehead. 

"Morning" she yawned stretching her arms above her head before dragging herself out of bed and into the shower. Normally Bellamy would join her, but they were both short on time so he decided to make them both some coffee. 

They got to Octavia's a little after 11, they managed to catch the kids open their last remaining presents "Santa's spoilt them this year" Octavia said, sending Clarke a raised eyebrow.  

Her Mom's money had come to some use, kitting the kids out with lots of new toys. Clarke held her hands up in surrender "Hey, not me. It's Santa remember". 

Octavia smiled at Clarke appreciatively, as Raven and Murphy bundled in through the door. Raven still had the brace on her leg, but she was able to walk completely unaided, which is something the doctors never thought she'd be able to do. She had two huge present bags in either hand as Murphy followed closely behind her, he too had his arms full of bags. 

Clarke was surprised by the number of presents they'd bought "Don't worry that's not all for us" Bellamy grinned, as if he read her mind.  

"That's ours, my sister and Lincolns and Miller and Monty's" he nodded, right on cue, Miller and Monty appeared at the door, they too with armfuls of presents. 

The adults sat on the floor as they all swapped presents, Raven was happy with her luxury spa weekend voucher and Murphy loved his SpongeBob SquarePants blanket and his new PlayStation.  

"Great. . . thanks Griffin, I'll have to look at this ugly blanket every morning and night now" Raven rolled her eyes as her boyfriend nuzzled his face against the blanket. 

Miller and Monty had recently moved house so Clarke gave them a $1000 voucher to kit them out with some new furniture for their house.  

"Wow. . .  okay- seriously Clarke holy f- I mean holy cow thank you" Miller smiled, his eyes darting to the two little ones playing with their toys in the corner.  

"Your fucking awesome" he whispered over to her. 

She got Octavia and Lincoln a weekend away together in a remote place, a private lodge with a hot tub all for themselves. 

"What about the ki-" Octavia asked, Clarke held her hands up "We got it, we'll look after them" she smiled as Octavia's face relaxed, starting to warm to the idea of having some alone time with her husband. 

"Thankyou. . . both of you".

She knew she'd gone a little over board, but they were her friends and she had tons of money she really didn't need.  

They said their prayers, tucking into the fabulous lunch that Lincoln had singly handily made for them.  

It was around 7pm and their bodies were scattered around the room, everyone to full to move.  

"I feel sick" Murphy whined rolling onto his back as he clutched his stomach.  

Lincoln nudged him with his foot "I hope you're not implying my food has made you ill". 

Everybody snorted as Monty crawled over to the TV, putting the Christmas movie channel on. 

Clarke got lucky manging to bag the best seat in the room, Bellamy at her side as she looked to him, his eyelids were heavy, closing every few seconds before flying open again. He cuddled into Clarke's side, his breathes evening out as he dropped off midway through the film. 

"Merry Christmas Bell" She whispered, stroking his hair.

In the chaos of sorting everybody else out both Clarke and Bellamy had forgotten to get eachother a present, but neither one seemed to mind.

She helped Octavia clean up the mess that the busy day had produced, by the time she made it home, Bellamy was three quarters of the way through a book Octavia and Lincoln had got him for Christmas. He peered over his glasses at her tired face, gesturing her to come to him. Clarke perched at the end of the bed as his lean arms snaked around her, before massaging her shoulders. 

"I had a really good day" he whispered into her ear as she relaxed into his touch "especially with you around" the tone of his voice turning dark as he pulled her hair to one side, kissing the exposed side of her neck. 

"Clarke, I've just realised I never asked you out" Bellamy whispered into the crease of her neck.

Clarke turned to face him her fingertips stroking his cheek softly as he continued to talk. "Clarke Griffin, will you- would you like to go on a date sometime?" he shrugged.

"You know, for someone as good looking and as sexy as you, your not very confident are you?" her hand covering her mouth as she laughed. 

He became agitated by her lengthy pause, his eyes fleeting around the room to afraid to look her in the eyes. Clarke hummed, looking up at the ceiling in deep thought, her bottom lip sticking out for affect. She glanced to him, panic alarms going off behind his eyes as his body began to tense up, he was uncomfortable, he felt vulnerable.

Deciding she'd tortured him enough, she nodded her head slowly "Yes, I would love to".

Bellamy let out a sigh of relief as he pulled her in close, tucking his head into the crease of her neck his curls tickling the tip of her chin. As he lay in her arms, she silently wished she'd get to fall asleep this way every night, for the rest of her life.

* * *

It was New Year's Eve and it had snowed so badly the night before that they all had to stay at Octavia's rather than go out into the town like they'd planned. Lincoln cooked up any left overs he had whilst Clarke and Raven occupied the kids.  

"How about we go and wrap up and play outside yeah?" Raven suggested, bouncing Lily in her arms. 

"Auntie Rae, that's a great idea" Archie beamed as he raced upstairs to his Mom. 

20 minutes later everybody was wrapped up in five plus layers, making their way outside. Monty hadn't even made it across the garden before Miller rugby tackled him to the ground, as Monty protested loudly "Get off me. . .  Nathan Miller let me up" he yelled as Miller continued to shovel snow over Monty's body.  

Clarke played it tactically, holding Lily in her arms so that nobody could throw a snowball at her. She walked around the outside of the action. Bellamy stepped inline with her "I like your tactic" he grinned, turning to the side to show Archie on his left hip.  

Clarke laughed loudly "Great minds huh".  

After a few minutes, people began to clock onto Clarke and Bellamy's tactics "Wow guys. . . using kids as a shield huh" Raven's eyebrow cocking up as she sculpted a perfect snowball in her hands.  

 "I don't know what your talking about Reyes" Bellamy laughed, running back to the house he cover being blown as Raven's snowball landed in the middle of his back. 

Clarke eyed up the distant she had to travel, being clever she walked backwards so that her and Lily were facing the rest of the adults "Clarke Griffin you’re a piece of work" Octavia called out, screaming as Lincoln threw snow into her distracted face.  

Clarke made it safely back into the house, wiping the snow of Lily's coat as she lay her in her play pen.  

Bellamy was in the kitchen, a warm cup of coco in his hands, he handed Clarke a mug and she accepted it, smiling at him in thanks.  

They watched the others playing in the snow like six year olds and Clarke couldn't help but smile at how happy they looked; their noses and cheeks red against the cold December air.  

"Isn't our family the best" Bellamy muttered, his eyes staring out the window in awe. 

Clarke nodded in agreement "the best". 

Later that night they all gathered in the garden, watching the sky become illuminated with colour. The fizzle and bangs made Clarke's ears ring, but she was to blown away by the technicolor show to go inside. Bellamy's arm was draped across her back, rubbing it soothingly as the sky shone brightly with colours of red, blue, green, gold, purple. Everyone watched the show, nobody spoke as the faint chorus of the countdown began. 

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 

Bellamy looked at Clarke wistfully his eyes dark, 

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 

He kissed her quickly before pulling away "Happy New Year princess" he muttered, her reply was drowned out by the sheer noise of the fireworks. 

They all grabbed hands, singing along to the Auld Lang Syne song, they all stumbled through the song, skipping the wrong way or saying the wrong words. As the fireworks began to wind down, they retreated back into the warmth, all having a glass of mulled wine. 

"To family" Octavia smiled, raising her glass high in the air. 

"To family" they all replied, clinking their glass against one another's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a big jump from Clarke's birthday to Christmas & New Year... Think I might add a small chapter between them to make it flow better. 
> 
> What does everyone think of their first year??


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